I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of window shades for arched windows.
II. Description of the Related Art
There are a variety of types of shades for arched windows. The type employed in this invention has blades with center ends attached pivotally at a bottom center of a window arc and outside ends rotated from bottom outside edges of the arc to a top center of the arc. This type is distinguished from other types of arched-window shades that have blades joined centrally and spread like a fan or rotated linearly on an axis like a variable-pitch propeller.
Other arched-window shades that have center ends attached pivotally and outside ends rotated from a bottom outside to a top center of an arched window are different from this invention. Examples are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,889, issued to Coe on Jun. 2, 1992, is limited to "a track comprising a flexible material capable of being bent to a curve corresponding to the shape of said arch shaped window and defining a channel". A plurality of "trolleys" were disposed in the channel to cause blades to conform to the arch-shaped window. The instant device does not have such channel. Instead it employs other means for guiding travel of the blades. It also employs other means for raising and lowering the blades and other materially different features. U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,380, issued to Lester on Oct. 11, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,195, issued to Lester on Oct. 13, 1987, were both limited to a "U-shaped channel" at the bottom of a semi-circular portion of an arched window. Other limitations were first and second tapes extending between successive blades, tensioning means in communication between the U-shaped channel and the tapes, curved guides in the U-shaped channel and other features different from the device described in this application. U.S. Pat. No. 1,447,189, issued to Simon on Mar. 6, 1923, exemplified linear pivoting, like pitch-adjustment of a propeller, in contrast to rotational pivoting as employed in this invention.